Improvement in bottle-stoppering devices



'0. F. SPENCER. Bottle-Stoppering Device.

No. 222,801. Patented Dec. 23,1879.

IIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES F. SPENCER, OF ROCHESTER, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO JOHN HYDE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT lN BOTTLE-STOPPERING DEVICES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,801, dated December 23, 1879; application filed October 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. SPENCER, of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bottle- Stoppers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, in whicha wire yoke provided with hook ends which engage with the shoulder at the top of the bottle, and having a ring capable of moving up and down, by which the sides of the yoke are expanded and contracted, all as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A represents the neck of the bottle, provided with the usual enlargement or shoulder, a, at the top. R is the stopper,,which rests on top of the bottle; and O is the metallic cap or cover to which the stopper is attached. These parts are of ordinary form and construction.

My improvement is as follows: 1) is the yoke, made of a piece of wire, or equivalent material, bent in the form of a bow and attached to the cap 0 either rigidly or so that it may be turned. The sides of the yoke incline outward as they extend downward, and at the bottom are hooks b b, which, when the yoke is compressed, catch under the shoulder a of the bottle, and compress the stopper B on top of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 1.

E is a ring, which rests around the top of the bottle -'neck, and is capable of sliding up and down thereon. It is provided with flanges or bearings 11 d on two opposite sides, in which are holes or sockets through which pass the arms of the yoke. This ring fits closely to the enlarged top of the neck of the bottle, but moves freely up and down.

The sides of the yoke being inclined, as before described, when the ring is raised the yoke will be expanded or pressed apart, so

as to relieve the hooks b I) from the shoulder a, and thereby allow the stopper to be removed from the bottle; but when the ring is pressed down the yoke will be drawn together, thereby closing the hooks under the shoulder, securing the stopper in place on the bottle, and at the same time compressing the same.

I11 Fig. 2 the ring is shown as raised and the yoke expanded, and in Fig. 3 the ring is shown as lowered and the yoke contracted.

The stopper is attached to a chain, wire, cord, or other attachment, f, secured .to the neck of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 1.

If desired, the sides of the yoke may be corrugated or roughened on the outside, so that as the ring is pressed down thereon it will retain its place at any position. v

The parts may also be so arranged that when the ring is fully forced down it will strike slightly under the bend of the hooks, thereby locking itself in place, but yielding upward when the proper pressure is applied beneath.

By the means above described a cheap, simple, and effective fastening is produced, which is easily applied and removed, and which avoids the use of wire loops and levers, which are now used, and which are objectionable as being expensive, occupying much space, and being difficult to open. To look this fastening iii place it is only necessary to place the ring E over the neck of the bottle and press the same down. It centers itself, and in going down it not only compresses or closes the arms of the yoke, but it also carries the yoke down with it. It will do this even if the ringis pressed down in an inclined position.

To remove the stoppera light pressure from beneath is sufficient.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- a The combination of the yoke D, provided with the hooks b b, and the ring E, resting thereon and capable of a vertical sliding move ment, by which the yoke may be expanded and contracted, as herein shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. F. SPENCER. Witnesses:

R. F. Oseoon, J. A. RANNEY.

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